| Morethia obscura | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Morethia |
| Species: | M. obscura |
| Binomial name | |
| Morethia obscura Storr, 1972 | |
The shrubland Morethia skink (Morethia obscura) is a species of skink endemic to Australia, of the family Scincidae, found in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria (Australia), Western Australia in Australia. [2]
Prior to 1845, this species of skink had been generally recognised as species M. lineoocellatus. In 1845, J.E Gray an eminent British zoologist, distinguished the shrubland Morethia skink from the M. lineoocellatus as it had supranasal scales and renamed it M. anomalus. [3] G.M. Storr described the more commonly known shrubland morethia skink as Morethia obscura in 1972. [3] In 1972, Storr carried out a study and made observations based on research conducted by M. Smyth in the same year. [3] This separated the new species M. obscura from M. lineoocellata using the condition of the supraciliary scales described by Smyth and the presence of supranasal scales as the major diagnostic. [3]
Skinks are small reptiles that belong to the family Scincidae. [3] The family Scinicidae is described as being one of the most diverse lizard families known. [4] Skinks in general have quite small legs not in proportion to their body size and no pronounced neck but are bilaterally symmetrical. [4] [5] The shrubland Morethia skink (M. obscura) is, often mistaken for the ragged snake eyed skink (C. pannosus). M. obscura is a small terrestrial lizard, with an average adult body weight of approximately 1.9 grams, [5] with an olive brown to olive gray dorsal surface. [3] [6] This species sometimes has a pale dorsolateral stripe and a broad irregular black lateral stripe. [3] Adults with intact tails measure approximately 107 mm to 129 mm with a snout vent length of anywhere between 18 mm to 56 mm. [3] The M. obscura has one pair of nuchals, which are two or more plates covering of the dorsal portion of the neck. [3] These skinks have one to four ear openings with a tympanic middle ear system with an inner ear structure called an otolith which detects acceleration and acoustic sounds with a hearing range of up to 40 dB. [5] Scales on the mid body are usually between 26 and 28 rows with lamellae (thin plates) under the fourth toe, which are smooth or keeled and unicarinate. [3]
Shrubland morethia skinks can be found in woodlands, heaths and shrublands, often in association with mallee and spinifex, within arid and semi-arid areas of southwest New South Wales, southern South Australia and some of its offshore islands, northwest Victoria and southern Western Australia. [3] [7] They are abundant in open areas with little vegetation, such as forest edges, so that they can utilise the food resources within a forest, but still reach the ambient light and temperature levels required for a heliothermic species. [8] Studies have found they are less abundant, almost non-existent in heavily vegetated areas. [9] These areas generally have a rainfall of less than 500mm per annum. [3]
Not much is known about the specific diet of M. obscura though from studies on other species from the same family it can be deduced that they are primarily insectivorous with typical prey including crickets, flies, beetles grasshoppers and the multitude of insects found in vegetative undergrowth of forests. [10]
M. obscura reproduce sexually with dioecious sexual system (distinct female and male organisms) which is a species characteristic, [5] and is an oviparous animal. [3] Generally, clutch size is anywhere from 3 to 5 eggs. [3] Breeding season commences from October to early November with fertilised eggs retained in the female reproductive system until late January each year when the embryo within the laid eggs is in an advanced developed state. [3]
Altered fire regimes may cause a threat to M. obscura as it has been found to be more abundant in areas that have experienced thinning and burning. [11] M. obscura response to fire is still unclear, although it is thought that complete loss following fire is unlikely. [12]
As M.obscura is found in abundance around the edges of forest fragments this makes it less susceptible to the loss of habitat via degradation. [8]
Foxes, possums, snakes, birds, rodents and larger lizards have been known to prey upon these smaller reptiles. [13]
Autotomy gives the skink the ability to regenerate lost tails. M. obscura have a tapering tail that will detach if a predator is within reach, however they are able to regrow their tail within a few months. [4] They have also been known to bury themselves in loose soil to hide when being pursued. [14]
Morethia, commonly called Morethia skinks or firetail skinks, is a genus of skinks in the order Squamata that are found in Australia.
Ristella beddomii, commonly known as Beddome's cat skink and Beddome's ristella, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to southwestern India.
The great desert skink, also known as Kintore's egernia and by various names including tjakura in various Aboriginal Australian languages, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the western half of Australia. It is a burrowing lizard and extremely social.
The eastern three-lined skink, also known commonly as the bold-striped cool-skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. A. duperreyi has been extensively studied in the context of understanding the evolution of learning, viviparity in lizards, and temperature- and genetic-sex determination. A. duperreyi is classified as a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN.
Menetia greyii, commonly known as the common dwarf skink or Grey's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to mainland Australia and Indonesia.
Morethia boulengeri is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Lygosoma veunsaiense is a species of skink that is endemic to northeastern Cambodia. Its description as a new species was published in 2012, receiving both local and international publicity.
Ctenotus strauchii, also known commonly as the eastern barred wedge-snout ctenotus or Strauch's ctenotus, is a small species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia and is found throughout semi-arid and arid regions in most of Australia's mainland states except Western Australia, although one record does exist for Western Australia in 1975.
The southern sandslider is a species of skink or Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia and widespread across the continent, being most commonly found within sandy termite mounds. This is where they take safe refuge from the harsh Australian climate and various ground predators.
Slater's desert skink, also known commonly as the Centralian Floodplains desert-skink, Slater's egernia, and Slater's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. There are two recognized subspecies.
Carlia storri, also known commonly as the brown bicarinate rainbow-skink or Storr's carlia, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species was first described by Glen Joseph Ingram and Jeanette Covacevich in 1989. It is native to Papua New Guinea and the Australian state of Queensland.
The saltbush Morethia skink, or more commonly referred to as saltbush skink, is a species of skink found in Australia. They are part of an 8 species genus of Morethia, which are all endemic to Australia. Akin to other members of the Morethia genus, saltbush skinks feature transparent disks as eye covers and eyelids which are stationary, along with specialised limbs which enable quick traversal of sand dunes. Taxonomically, the species was first classified by German explorer Wilhelm Karl Hartwig in 1871.
Morethia butleri, also known commonly as Butler's Morethia and the woodland Morethia skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Morethia storri, also known commonly as the top end firetail skink or Storr's morethia, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Pseudemoia baudini, also known commonly as Baudin's skink, Baudin's window-eyed skink, and the Bight Coast skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Ctenotus brooksi, also known commonly as Brooks' wedge-snouted ctenotus, the wedgesnout ctenotus, and the sandhill ctenotus, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia and found in semi-arid regions.
Ctenotus leonhardii, known by the common names Leonhardi's ctenotus, Leonhardi's skink or common desert ctenotus, is a species of skink found in a range of arid and semi-arid regions throughout mainland Australia. The species was named after German anthropologist Moritz von Leonhardi in 1919 and belongs to the genus Ctenotus, one of the largest genera of lizards in Australia.
Eremiascincus brongersmai, also known commonly as Brongersma's tree skink and the brown-sided bar-lipped skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the state of Western Australia.
Lerista edwardsae, also known commonly as the Myall slider, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Australian state of South Australia.
Lerista timida, the dwarf three-toed slider or wood mulch-slider, is a species of skink found in Australia. Other common names for the species include timid slider and dwarf burrowing skink. The skink is a member of the Lerista genus which are confined to continental Australia and are mostly a burrowing species of skink. The genus consists of consists elongated, smooth-scaled, Fossorial lizards that are specialized for life in the upper soils and dry leaf litter through which they slide using Lateral undulation as a form of locomotive action, giving rise to their nickname as sliders. They normally emerge of a night-time to hunt for small Invertebrates such as ants, termites and insects. If disturbed, they dive immediately into any loose substrate to avoid predation, this behavior leaves behind a distinctive disrupted wavy track that often found on sandy flats or dunes, roads and tracks.
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